A Chinese construction and engineering firm has broken ground on a new £15m logistics facility at Airport City Manchester.

ALPHA is part of the £1bn development set to create 40 construction jobs.

The UK division of Beijing Construction Engineering Group International (BCEGI) was joined on-site by Mr Xing Yan, managing director at BCEG International Investments, to launch the start of construction at ALPHA.

The work follows continued positive momentum on-site at Global Logistics, following the recent 654,000 sq ft deal with Amazon which will create up to 1,500 jobs at their new fulfilment centre.

Mr Xing said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for the development. We’ve reached a crucial stage at the project and we’re now on-site getting on with construction at ALPHA.

“We are seeing high levels of interest in ALPHA from firms keen to take advantage of the exceptional transport and business connectivity on offer here.”

Part of the Manchester Enterprise Zone, ALPHA at Airport City Manchester will help BCEGI to achieve its job creation target to go from a workforce of 60 up to 100.

ALPHA is being built at the heart of Airport City’s Global Logistics site and will offer units from 17,500 sq ft to 35,000 sq ft, arranged in a single terrace.

With foundations in China, BCEGI is now focussed on growing its global presence, having recently established its new European headquarters in the UK at Airport City Manchester.

This follows recent project announcements in the North West at Middlewood Locks with Scarborough Group and St Michael’s with Rowsley’s, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs.

Mr Yew Cheong Lau, executive director at BCEGI UK, said: “ALPHA is a 130,000 sq ft building which has been specifically designed to meet growing demand for logistics units among small and medium-sized businesses.

“We’ve already got big multi-national businesses either on-site or set to locate to Airport City Manchester, so to be able to offer small and medium-sized firms the chance to move here to take advantage of the same economic benefits is fantastic.”

ALPHA has direct access onto the M56 and is located next to Manchester Airport’s World Freight Terminal, which already handles 100,000 tonnes of cargo every year.

Each unit will have its own fenced and gated yard with dedicated car parking and HGV delivery access. The warehouse accommodation will be finished to shell condition, with each unit having around five per cent of office space on the first floor level.

BCEGI is as one of the Airport City Manchester’s construction partners alongside Carillion, the integrated support services firm. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) complete the joint venture partnership.

As one of the UK’s largest joint venture commercial development projects, Airport City Manchester, next to Manchester Airport, will generate huge economic benefits to Greater Manchester and the wider northern region.

The project is already proving to be an important part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative, with the potential to attract millions of pounds worth of investment through the creation of five million square feet of premium office space, hotels, advanced manufacturing, logistics and ancillary retail.

Northern Powerhouse Minister James Wharton said: “The Northern Powerhouse is about attracting and driving investment so that we can unlock our economic potential and better compete in the global market.

“This is another positive step on that journey, with the creation of good new jobs and a world-leading facility that will boost small and medium-sized businesses across Manchester and beyond.”